fun facts about pandas from panda express =3

Panda’s Territory: Where do pandas come from?
Giant pandas have lived in the bamboo forests of China for millions years and have been honored by the Chinese for a very long time. In fact, giant pandas have appeared in Chinese art for thousands of years. Because the giant panda is considered a national treasure in China, it is protected by law so that it does not become extinct.
Although giant pandas have long been known to the Chinese, they are a recent discovery for people living outside of China. The first westerner to observe a live giant panda in the wild was a German zoologist named Hugo Weigold. In 1916, he bought a cub while he was on expedition.

In China, people have believed for thousands years that pandas are special. It is said that ancient emperors of China kept giant pandas as pets. Chinese books over two thousand years old show giant pandas with mystical powers. People thought that they could ward off evil sprits and natural disasters.
Today, pandas are believed to be a symbol of peace and good fortune.


At Panda’s Place: Where do pandas live?
There is only one place where giant pandas live in the wild: high in the mountains of central China. There, they live in cold and rainy bamboo forests that are often misty and shrouded in heavy clouds. Once upon a time, giant pandas lived in lowland areas. However, as people built more and more farms and cities on that land, the giant pandas were forced up into the mountains. Today, they live at elevations of 5,000 to 10,000 feet.


Pandas Lunch: What do pandas eat?
In the wild, a giant panda’s diet is 99% bamboo. Bamboo is a giant grass that grows in the mountains of ChinA. Because bamboo is so low in nutrients, an adult giant panda eats between 20 and 40 or more pounds of it each day. It eats the stems, shoots, leaves and all.
There are about 25 different types of bamboo that wild pandas will eat. Some nutritionists think that giant pandas need to eat not only different parts of the bamboo, but also different kinds of bamboo in order to get proper nutrition. In addition to bamboo, giant pandas eat other grasses, insects and occasionally, small rodents.
In zoos, giant pandas eat bamboo too, but they might also eat sugar cane, rice gruel, carrots, apples and sweet potatoes.

Panda Cubs: How are baby pandas born?
When a giant panda is first born, it is tiny. It weighs between four and six ounces and is about the size of a stick of butter. At birth, it is pink, blind, helpless and hairless. During this time, the mother cares for it closely, often cradling it in her paw and keeping it close to her chest. The cub doesn’t open its eyes until it is six week old, and it doesn’t walk until it is three months.
Cubs nurse for about nine months but they stay with their mothers for a long time after that. In fact, it can be up to three years before a giant panda cub strikes out on its own.

Panda’s Day Out: How does a panda spend the day?
In the wild, giant pandas spend most of their time resting, eating or looking for food. Unlike other bear species, giant pandas do not hibernate during the winter months. They also do not build permanent dens. Instead, they shelter in caves and trees.
Pandas are good climbers. They can also swim, though they spend most of their time on land. Although they might seem pretty quiet, giant pandas do make a lot of growling and honking sounds.

Panda’s in Peril: Why are pandas endangered?
Today, giant pandas are at risk of becoming extinct. Only about 1,000 giant pandas are left in the wild. All of these inhabit a small area in the bamboo forests of China. About 140 live in captivity. This is why the giant panda is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Animals. It is one of the most severely endangered species in the world.

Panda’s True Nature: How do scientists classify pandas?
By genus and species, family and order, giant pandas are classified as Ailuropoda (genus), melanoleuca (species), Ursidae (family), Carnivora (order). The name Ailuropoda melanoleuca means "black and white bear.”

Panda’s Bear Body: What do pandas look like?
The giant panda is a member of the bear family Ursidae, so it is no wonder that it looks like a bear. It is a bear! Giant pandas have black, wooly coats of fur to keep them warm in the cool forests where they live. The fur on their ears, around their eyes, and on their muzzles, legs and shoulders is black. The rest of the panda’s body is white.
Giant pandas have strong jaws and large molar teeth. This helps them crush the tough bamboo that they eat.

Pandas in Pounds: How big are pandas?
Giant pandas are about the size of an American black bear. When they are standing on all four legs, giant pandas are two to three feet tall at the shoulder. They can be up to six feet long. Males are usually larger than females. Males can weigh 250 pounds or more in the wild. Females usually weigh less than 220 pounds.

link: http://www.pandaexpress.com/pandakids/html/fun_facts/index.html